January 21, 2020
DDP graduate and now Johns Hopkins 2nd-year medical student Michelle Colbert and I got to share the story of the
Opportunity
The health and biomedical research workforce will become truly diversified when socioeconomic barriers are overcome, allowing individuals from all backgrounds to become members and leaders of their fields. Focused opportunities must be provided for individuals from low-income and diverse backgrounds, and the major goal is to ensure that individuals with interest and passion also have the skills, accomplishments, network, and support system required to succeed at each level of training. We strive to provide these opportunities through our Johns Hopkins Initiative for Careers in Science and Medicine (CSM) pipeline effort.
To date, the CSM Initiative has served 402 scholars. This includes 174 5th Graders (one-week science camp), 152 high schoolers (8-week summer internships with academic fortification), 55 undergraduates (10-week summer internships), and 27 post-baccalaureates (up to two-year mentored research-intensive training). At least 83% of our high school scholars have matriculated into 4-year college programs and 73% have chosen STEM majors. At the other end of the spectrum, 72% of our post-baccalaureate scholars have been accepted into MD, MD/PhD, and PhD programs at a variety of institutions, including Hopkins, Stanford, Albert Einstein, Vanderbilt, Brown, Baylor, among many others. 7% are working towards their MS degree, and the remaining 20% are working as research scientists.
The CSM Initiative has been funded, in part, by a Health Careers Opportunity Program grant (non-renewable) through the Health Resources and Services Administration. We also receive support from the Thomas Wilson Foundation, United Way of Central Maryland, the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University, Camden Partners, the Brancati Center, the Spudich Family, the Joyce A. Robinson Living Trust, and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. If you are interested in helping support the Johns Hopkins Initiative for Careers in Science and Medicine, please contact Doug Robinson (dnr@jhmi.edu) or Katie Sullivan, Associate Director of Development (ksulli52@jhmi.edu).
